I was unaware of it too, until i was looking for something else & stumbled across it.

“Anti-Intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that ‘my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge’.”-Isaac Asimov

COMPLICATIONS:Disability: In the Scorpion suit, the pincers keep him from doing fine manipulation with his handsHatred: He loathes J. Jonah Jameson for turning him into what he is and he hates Spider-Man for foiling his plans so many timesMental Instability: His enhancements and constant failures have made him mentally unstable

Comments: I’m not sure if I like Mac being Scorpion again or not. He was pretty rockin’ as Venom. But I like Flash as the new Venom for now, so I guess he can have some old school fun in his old incarnation while the new Venom arc runs its course.

Last edited by Thorpacolypse on Thu Jul 18, 2013 7:36 pm, edited 2 times in total.

COMPLICATIONS:Power Loss: When he reverts back to his Curt Connors form, he loses his powers, his stats change to STR 0, STA 1, AGL 0, INT 5 and PRE 2 and he has the Expertise: Biology Skill 8 (+13) and Treatment 5 (+10). He also receives a disability complication for his missing armRivalry: The Curt Connors side and The Lizard side are generally at odds and the inner squabbling can cause issues for both personasVulnerable: The Lizard is cold-blooded and vulnerable to cold effects, taking an extra degree of failure against cold based attack in addition to suffering fatigued, exhausted, and asleep conditions from cold effects or in cold temperatures

Comments: Man, oh man, did The Lizard kick ass in his latest run in The Gauntlet. In Shed, The Lizard persona “killed” his Curt Connors persona and unfettered by that, he started controlling people’s amygdalas, making them lizard like in their actions where they were more aggressive, sexual and well, lizardlike, but still seemingly knowing what they were doing as shown here:

It was wicked. Sadly, though, he killed Connors' son and the worst part was his son basically saying he knew it was coming all along. The internal screaming of Curt Connors was really creepy.

Anyway you can easily kill off his mind control and go with Reptile Control for a classic Lizard. Although I really toyed with making him a PL11 to be even with my DCA Spidey, and I yet might.

Clean Up 11/13/11: I brought Lizard up to PL11 as I suspected I might.

Last edited by Thorpacolypse on Sun Nov 13, 2011 7:43 am, edited 1 time in total.

Sounds like an awesome Lizard story. Wonder if its in TPB yet? I love lizard, even before the Torment arc, and that made me like him even more. I'd definitely bump him up to 11, as I read it, I kept thinking, what would I bump up.

COMPLICATIONS:Enemy: Spider-ManGreed: He's usually always in for making a quick buckShowboat: Beck likes to put on a great show and be seen as the best in the biz, sometimes taking risks or revealing his end game early to that end

Comments: Much like BARON loves Arcade, I love Mysterio. They’re basically the same dude, really, but Mysterio has that big ugly-ass fishbowl helmet that I just love for it’s iconic look, but endearing Silver Age goofiness.

Last edited by Thorpacolypse on Thu Jul 18, 2013 7:32 pm, edited 2 times in total.

COMPLICATIONS:Disability: Toomes is an old man and is subject to any number of ailmentsEnemy: Spider-ManMotivation: Proving his genius, getting revenge on those who stole from him or mocked himPower Loss: The long term exposure to his Vulture suit has given him most of the powers on semi-permanent basis. However, when deprived of the suit for more than a week, he loses his powers and his stat drop to STR 0, STA 0, AGL 0 and FGT 3

Comments: I always liked The Vulture when I was a kid. He was actually the villain in the first Spider-Man comic I ever got. As time went on, I realized how limited of a foe he was, but in the Silver Age, he was serviceable. Now he’s kind of a joke and the new Vulture has been featured more, but I think he’ll make a comeback. You can't keep a good jobber down. You can put them down a LOT, but you can't keep them there!

Last edited by Thorpacolypse on Sun Nov 13, 2011 7:45 am, edited 1 time in total.

I love these SPidey villains, I particulary appreciate Mysterio. Overall he has one of thee most unique gimmick in the comicdom, being a illusion based character whose powers comes from technology, instead of telepathy or magic.

Yeah, nice Spidey villain builds. Going over my older stuff to change some formatting around, I realized how much fun they were to do- they're such a classic bunch of weird characters. The Lizard & Scorpion are especially cool, and have quite a few unique tricks for comic book characters. Lizard's gotten a MAJOR boost in recent years, but has always been a lethal opponent to Spidey.

Woodclaw wrote:I love these SPidey villains, I particulary appreciate Mysterio. Overall he has one of thee most unique gimmick in the comicdom, being a illusion based character whose powers comes from technology, instead of telepathy or magic.

I've always loved Spidey's Rogues Gallery as well and definitely Quentin Beck. I didn't care for him at first, but I've grown to like the mental challenge he throws at Pete. I didn't like The Chameleon (coming soon) either, but for much the same reasons, he's become a favorite, too. Especially from a GM-ing standpoint. Sometimes good old hack and slash/punch and blast stuff is OK, but I like throwing in some misdirection now to keep it interesting. Mysterio does that just about as well as anyone.

scc wrote:Very nice Vulture. Liked how you did his power loss. So much easier with a complication. I always loved Mysterio too. Spider-Man has the next best rogues gallery right after Batmans.

No doubt. Ock, Goblin, Sandman, Rhino, Electro, Mysterio, Lizard and on and on are just great villains. Sometimes batsh*t crazy, sometime sympathetic but pretty much always interesting. I think the lack of great villains has been something that has plagued Wonder Woman, and to a lesser extent, Superman over their run. You can only throw Cheetah, Giganta, Luthor and Brainiac out so often before they lose their appeal and in WW and Supes' case, they have become so powerful over the years, it's obviously become difficult to write great stories for them.

Maybe it's me, but I think the reason Spider-Man and Batman's villains work so well is the fact that they are in their nemeses' heads, big time. It feels so personal when Doc Ock, Goblin, or Mysterio goes after Spidey, same with Joker, Penguin, Hush and Batman, or Bullseye, Kingpin and Daredevil. You don't seem to feel that primal need, that obsession, that pure desperation to defeat the person that continually beats them down time and time again, outside of Luthor with Superman, really.

Jabroniville wrote:Yeah, nice Spidey villain builds. Going over my older stuff to change some formatting around, I realized how much fun they were to do- they're such a classic bunch of weird characters. The Lizard & Scorpion are especially cool, and have quite a few unique tricks for comic book characters. Lizard's gotten a MAJOR boost in recent years, but has always been a lethal opponent to Spidey.

Scorpion and Lizard have been really well written lately and The Lizard has really become a force. I think I'm going to pump him up to PL11 this weekend. Like I said in the post, SHED was AWESOME. Probably my favorite arc in The Gauntlet, well maybe next to Rhino's.

And they are fun as all hell to work up. As I've stated before (and will continue to, apparently ) that's why I rebuild the icons and my faves over and over. They're just too much fun.

Should have Norman ready to go this weekend, then a few more odds and ends before I hit the X-Verse later in this month or next as I continue to toggle between PC and DCA builds here, and my personal setting stuff on my other thread.

Woodclaw wrote:I love these SPidey villains, I particulary appreciate Mysterio. Overall he has one of thee most unique gimmick in the comicdom, being a illusion based character whose powers comes from technology, instead of telepathy or magic.

I've always loved Spidey's Rogues Gallery as well and definitely Quentin Beck. I didn't care for him at first, but I've grown to like the mental challenge he throws at Pete. I didn't like The Chameleon (coming soon) either, but for much the same reasons, he's become a favorite, too. Especially from a GM-ing standpoint. Sometimes good old hack and slash/punch and blast stuff is OK, but I like throwing in some misdirection now to keep it interesting. Mysterio does that just about as well as anyone.

Mysterio is definitely a good villain to throw at players to shake things up. If anyone ever needs a perfect example of how to run someone like Mysterio, just have them check out the "Revenge of Sinister Six" arc. He has several really cool moments.

A little rudeness and disrespect can elevate a meaningless interaction to a battle of wills and add drama to an otherwise dull day.

You can make fun of me all you want...but you know this is true... I was right.The world is a mess and the world needed me to fix it. And I would have. I could have. This world is a madhouse of mutants, terrorists, psychotics, aliens, and monsters. All of them clashing and crashing into each other at every second of every day. ... I know the mutants of this world will rise up and kill us. I know that the Hulk will one day decide to destroy everything he sees. I know the Punisher will one day kill the wrong person and set off a chain of events that will lead to nuclear holocaust. I know these heroes will dive head first into something they do not understand and end up doing such insane damage to the world that humans can no longer live on it. ... I know this is true. I know it. And I could have stopped it. If not for the fact that you kept standing in my @#$@# way... - Norman Osborn

COMPLICATIONS:Arrogance: Norman is supremely confident in his intelligence and abilities and this can often be his downfall.Enemy: Spider-Man.Greed: Norman wants power and fame more than just about anyone.Mental Instability: The usage of the Goblin formula made his manic depressive issues even worse, resulting in vicious mood swings and split personality disorder where he sees himself and The Goblin as different people.Obsession: Either killing Spider-Man or bringing him to his side.Power Loss: If his Goblin serum wears off or is nullified, his stats drop to STR 2, STA 2, FGT 5 and INT 4

Build Comments: Ah, yes, one of the best villains ever, Norman Osborn, The Green Goblin. I don't think after that quote I really need to go into any more. He made the most of his start turn in Dark Reign and I look forward to his return.

Secret Origins: Norman Osborn was the son of the wealthy business man Amberson Osborn. He had a decent childhood until Amberson lost most of the family fortune after the failure of his invention company, which had Amberson becoming alcoholic and violent. Young Norman and his mother would often be the targets of physical and psychological abuse by Amberson to compensate for his failures. This abuse had Norman realize that only the strong survive and that he will never be weak. This realization caused him to kill the family's dog, seeing it as one less problem in his life.

On one stormy and thunderous night, in order to cure his son's fear of the dark, Amberson locked Norman alone in one of the family's dark empty houses where Norman encountered and feared a "green, goblin-like" monster stalking him. Alone in the dark, Norman feared the monster would eat him once the darkness is replaced by the light, so he came to grip with the darkness, wishing it would never leave him. That night, he realized that the Darkness is better than the light.

Encounters like these made Norman develop a need for power and wealth so he would not become a failure like his father. He sought to regain the wealth he once had and he would stop at nothing to reach his goal.

Norman attended Empire State University with a science scholarship and received degrees in chemistry and electrical engineering. While at ESU, he met and fell in love with a young woman named Emily. Despite his hunger for power and wealth, Emily was able to provide some balance in the young man and bring out the best in him. The two would marry and have a son, Harold Osborn. Norman loved Emily tremendously, but the good times would not last and Emily died shortly after Harry's birth. Norman was left a miserable, misguided, insane, single father. Without Emily there to give his life any light, he re-dedicated himself to wealth and power, neglecting Harry in the process.

After graduating in business and chemistry majors, Norman founded his own company, OsCorp, with his old science professor, Dr. Mendel Stromm. He would become successful and wealthy yet a ruthless businessman and always power hungry. When Stromm borrowed money from the company accounts, Osborn seized the opportunity and turned Stromm over to the police for embezzlement, leaving Norman the sole owner of the company.

With Stromm now in jail, Osborn decided to continue working on the strength-enhancing formula Stromm had been working on in order to sell it to the highest bidder. Osborn tried to re-create the formula following Professor Stromm's notes. In order to perfect the formula, Osborn used his employees as test subjects. One of those employees is Nels Van Adder, who went on a killing spree as the red, goblin-like monster called the "Proto-Goblin" who attempted to kill Osborn at his laboratory but was saved by Arthur Stacy and George Stacy. After the failed attack, Norman found more of Stromm's notes in his old desk.

He is certain the new notes are the missing piece to the formula, however when Osborn used the new information, the mixture turns bright green and explodes in his face. He is hospitalized, but recovers at an incredible, super-human rate. He realizes the explosion not only increased his strength, but also his intelligence. This pushes the megalomaniac Norman Osborn over the edge, and his sanity is lost.

The Story so Far: The Green Goblin first appeared as a villain determined to rule the underworld and in order to do that he needed to prove himself by defeating New York's newest hero, Spider-Man. The Goblin first appeared using a jet powered flying broomstick which was later replaced with the now iconic Goblin Glider. He would prove himself as a worthy foe for Spider-Man during several clashes.

The Green Goblin became even a bigger villainous threat when he became the first villain to uncover Spider-Man's secret identity as Peter Parker. He was also revealed as Norman Osborn, the father of Peter's best friend Harry Osborn, further adding a sense of drama to their conflict. However, he would lose the memory of being a super-villain and would often make appearances as Harry's kindhearted father but eventually, he would return to his villainous role.

Spider-Man's arch-enemy had always been Doctor Octopus until the Green Goblin killed Peter's girlfriend, Gwen Stacy, elevating the Goblin to the status of being Spider-Man arch-enemy who has hurt Spider-Man more than any other villain. After Gwen's death, Osborn would seemingly die as well and would disappear for two years.

During his absence, his son Harry would follow in his father's footsteps and become the Green Goblin himself. Also, Harry's psychiatrist Bart Hamilton would take up the mantle. Also, the Hobgoblin, a Green Goblin copycat, would become Spider-Man's arch-enemy. Osborn would return when it wass revealed that he had been manipulating everyone from the start. His rivalry with Spider-Man became even more intense when he killed Ben Reilly, Peter's "brother". Norman would return to the role of "evil businessman" and would torture Peter with the fact of being one of the few people to know of his dual identity.

Osborn's insanity would be explored as well as his affinity and respect for Peter as an opponent. Norman's would show that despite the mutual hatred he has with Spider-Man, he does possess a sense of respect and admiration for Spider-Man in his own twisted way. He would grow to consider Peter as his own son and attempts to have him carry on his legacy as the Goblin Heir. He later attempted to have Peter kill him in an epic battle after continuously provoking Peter and invading his life. Norman's attacks on Peter would become personal as he attacked Peter's friends and family, intensifying their mutual hatred.

During the Civil War, Norman distances himself from Spider-Man when he becomes the Leader of the Thunderbolts and his role as leader becomes explored as well as his constant fight against his insanity. He would be portrayed as being considered by himself a hero doing the right thing and shaping a world in his own vision of righteousness and perfection. This portrayal is further explored in Dark Reign where Osborn became the leader of the world's main super-hero team and tried to use his power to shape the world as he sees it fit. He truly believes that he deserves public adulation and he is annoyed that other so-called "heroes" are receiving it instead.

After The Siege, thanks to the behind-the-scenes manipulation of Lex Luthor, Osborn was cleared of all charges and returned to rebuild OSCORP, setting him as a rival to his benefactor. Luthor’s reasons for assisting Osborn remain unclear, but he and Norman are supposed to have a summit in the near future.

Characterization: Norman Osborn possesses great skills in manipulation as he has showcased over the years, most notably in Dark Reign. He often manages to bend others to his will or direct them in ways which benefit him in the long run. The value he places in others is directly related to his personal opinion of their usefulness. Evidence of this is found in his long running feud with Spider-Man, who he once considered a worthy heir to his legacy, and who he sees as a worthy nemesis. On the flip-side, an example of his ruthlessness is seen in how he used his son Harry.

Although a scientific genius, Osborn's mental condition is unstable. The Goblin formula greatly increased his intelligence but cost him his sanity, resulting in excessive arrogance and delusions of grandeur. Thus, it can lead him to make irrational decisions.

Osborn's insanity has weakened his overall thought processes and views on reality. He believes that he cannot be defeated and often underestimates his opponents. An example of this is once, when Osborn captured Spider-Man, he revealed that he knew that Spider-Man was planning to escape. However, to prove his superiority, he decided to allow Spider-Man to escape so that Norman could fight him head to head. This ultimately resulted in Osborn's defeat.

Friends and Foes: He has garnered several allies in the supervillain community during his time as “top cop”, and there are still factions of former HAMMER agents that are loyal to him.

His relationship with Harry seems to have been damaged beyond repair, but recently Norman has been reaching out to him, although Harry and Peter believe it’s just another one of his manipulations.

Although he has come into conflict with many superheroes over the years, without a doubt his greatest rivalry is with Spider-Man. They have a mutual hatred for each other than spans a decade.

Clean Up 12/20/13: Norman gets an update. I took him down a PL, but tightened up his abilities where he should still give Spidey fits.

Last edited by Thorpacolypse on Fri Jan 31, 2014 9:44 pm, edited 5 times in total.

Comments: The new Master Man has been getting a lot of run in the new Cap book and a bit of Fear Itself. He's a lower powered paragon that can usually give Cap a run for his money, but generally gets jobbed pretty well in the end just like his predecessor, the original Master Man.

Secret Origins: Max Lohmer was a young, thuggish Neo-Nazi when he was approached by The Red Skull. The Skull apparently enhanced Max Lohmer's body to where he had augmented strength and powers similar or identical to his great-uncle, the original Master Man.

The Story so Far: Max Lohmer led the criminal Neo-Nazi group Master Race but were opposed and eventually defeated by Captain America, Winter Soldier and The Falcon.

Max Lohmer allied himself with other super-powered Nazis, Uber Commandos, and came into conflict with the Invaders. Interestingly enough, Max appears to have a fascination with his Great-Uncle's widow Warrior Woman, who has maintained her youthful appearance.

Characterization: Max is a thuggish bully.

Friends and Foes: He is quite loyal to The Red Skull and the Nazi ideals. And after his dalliance with Warrior Woman, he has made his affections toward Sin known. Crossbones is not happy about that.

Last edited by Thorpacolypse on Sun Mar 16, 2014 6:34 pm, edited 3 times in total.

Ah Nazis. Fodder for thousands of campaigns and stories. Oh how gamers love to beat, smash,shoot, gib, frag, electrocute and fry you.Never has there been a group more deserving of contempt such as these vile, evil, rat b*stards.

If the decision to use Nazis or zombies arises.... I have a hard time deciding between the two. However, zombie Nazis are hard to resist.

All this said... Erde is one of my favorite places to send characters when they start acting more like players than heroes. Object lessons abound.